Kentucky Derby Drinks

What To Drink This Derby Day

The 139th Kentucky Derby — "the fastest two minutes in sports" — is already shaping up to be a historic weekend. Bob Baffert, the dapper, white-haired celebrity trainer (perhaps the only trainer most non-horse people know), is sitting out the race this year, having pulled both Governor Charlie and Code West. Jockey Kevin Krigger, riding atop Goldencents, stands a good chance to be the first African-American to win the Derby since 1902. If favorite Verrazano wins, he'll be only the second Derby winner who didn't race as a 2-year-old.

For the first time ever, the 20 starters are being determined by a point system. And veteran jockey and NBC racing analyst Gary Stevens will be both racing (on Oxbow) and broadcasting. At the same time. Just as historic, though perhaps slightly less auspiciously, Belgian brew Stella Artois will be the official beer of both the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby races on May 3rd and 4th.

Wait… What? What about bourbon? Isn't that the Derby drink of choice? It's still there, don't worry. Woodford Reserve has secured its ongoing presence with collectible Derby mint julep cups, free-flowing liquor and its now-traditional $1,000 Mint Julep Cup spectacle. But Stella Artois, which continues to expand its sponsorship (now in its second year), is secure in its knowledge that beer isn't simply a quick fix for the masses on race day.

"It's not about the horse racing per se," says Rick Oleshak, director at Stella Artois U.S. "It's about the sophistication, the pageantry and the ritual of the Derby. This is a bucket list event for many people." General admission tickets, for example, run $50 at the door. "They want to see the atmosphere, wear the hats, and, yes, get the commemorative julep cup. But what's better than a Stella Artois Commemorative Chalice, served with our ritual nine-step pour?" In bars around the world, and in the marketing, Stella Artois promotes a specific technique to prepare and pour its beer in signature glass chalices.

"For us, pageantry and food pairing events are easy," says Oleshak. "No matter the country, there's a food, wine and beer culture. We love the idea of craftsmanship: In our beer, in our chalice, and in events like these."So, sure, you'll be drinking the beer during most of the race day, because too many juleps will knock you on your butt. Perhaps because you want to pace yourself in preparation for Cinco de Mayo the next day. But what if you've laid down your $50 admission price or your $900 for seats at the Derby, and you want a damned mint julep? Woodford Reserve's got you covered.

"This is our 15th year sponsoring the Derby," says master distiller Chris Morris. "But bourbon and horse racing have a long history together. In 19th-century Kentucky, every farm had a still, and they were making whiskey (it wasn't called bourbon yet)." They began making juleps with the whiskey, instead of the brandy or rum more commonly found on the East Coast at the time.

"Farmers would bring their whiskey to social events," says Morris. "They would also bring their horses. And soon, they would share, and drink and race." According to Morris, the earliest account of a mint julep cup was one being given as a trophy for a horse race in 1816. "That tells us it goes way back."

If you're attending the Derby in person and order in advance, you can enjoy a gold-themed, $1,000 mint julep. That cool grand gets you a hand-engraved cup featuring a horse and rider holding a gold trophy and gold-plated rose garland.

Your ice will have been made of Nova Scotia mineral water filtered through gold, and the Kentucky-grown mint will be dusted with gold. The bourbon? Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select.

If you decided instead to place most of your cash on the ponies, grab a regular mint julep, head over to the tent where rich people are drinking and gawk. If no one's at the bar, "walk up to the bar, take pictures, say hi, see a cup, check out the bourbon," says Morris. "We're all about showing it off."

Hosting or bringing drinks to the party? Here's an intensive, but crowd-wowing recipe for the classic mint julep:

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep

Prepare the mint extract in advance. Wash and pat dry mint leaves. Cover with two to four ounces of bourbon in a small bowl and soak for 15-30 minutes. Lay the leaves out on a clean cotton kitchen town and wring them into a pitcher filled with the rest of the whiskey. Repeat the process five or six times for more intense mint notes. Prepare the simple syrup in advance. Combine sugar and water in a small pot. Heat to dissolve the sugar, about 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Place in a sealed container and cool.

Combine four cups of bourbon in a pitcher with the simple syrup. Add the mint extract one tablespoon at a time to taste (don't add too much or the mint will overpower everything else). Three to four tablespoons should work. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, fill rocks glass or silver mint julep cup halfway with crushed or shaved ice. Insert a mint sprig and pack the glass with more ice over the top of the glass (think snow cone). Insert a short (metal if you have it) straw. When the glass is well chilled, add julep mixture over the ice.